Lightning Dash

Not really. Atlantis is technically a myth that may or may not exist. The Crystal Empire, however, is like a normal city that happened to get hit by a curse causing it to disappear, and then re-appear every 1000 years (I think I got that right).

 

But the Crystal Empire is not a myth, it was simply cursed. Atlantis is a whole different story, though.

 

I guess you could say they both have certain things in common, but nothing that really stands out.

All I'm going to say here is G1, G2, G3, and G4 are there own universe of evolution. It's like, they don't relate to each other directly, it's merely evolution, not story tying.

 

With that said, no. But hay, that's just my opinion.

Does it matter whether or not it takes more inspiration from Disney or whatever else there is?

 

The purpose of a film is to bring entertainment, and of course the cash. MLP:FiM already has it's own style, so it can only take inspiration from other things. It's done it already, and it's always continued pretty well.

 

I'm just happy they're actually making a Pony film, and not another one of those EQG. That's all I need to be grateful for.

If you ask me, the "Brohoof" button is good enough. Why would there be any need to do anything more than that? You like a post, you Brohoof it; Enough said. Members generally just put *Hugs* in their post when it's something more sensitive anyway.

As much as I'd like to see a Scootaloo episode, I really want to put my hopes in for Princess Celestia. A big character like herself still yet to have her own episode... it's just odd now. I'd sure like to gain more knowledge of Celestia's and Luna's history; Where they really came from, what they really went through, etc. It's dying to have either an episode just dedicated for Celestia, or both Celestia and Luna.

 

Come on, Hasbro, make it happen already. I mean this could work in the season 6 finale. We've already got yet another female Alicorn, so let's dig into Celestia's and Luna's history properly. I know many aren't keen on Celestia, but I think it would be awesome to know more about them both.

 

That's all I have to say.

Any true professional knows it's best to go out on top; MLP:FiM The Movie can do that.

 

I don't keep in check with MLP:FiM news so I'm not sure if they've said they're going to continue it, but why the need to continue the show if they can continue to generate cash from their line of toys. Let them go out with a bang. Also, I hope it ends with the movie, too. It would be a nice ending to the series.

 

Do they even generate a great amount of money from the actual show, anyway? Kudos to all the Bronies that simply stream the videos or downloads them without paying a penny, because I know I do. With that said, I can't see money being anything that says they must keep it going, but hay, that's just a theory.

How the *beep* does a Disney films direction in PG... relate to a Hasbro film? That's like comparing R*s Grand Theft Auto with Square's Final Fantasy. Besides, Disney are known to have their weird, and in some cases, dark themes that you sometimes pick up in their films.

 

Besides, does a PG rating really make any sufficient difference? I'm not sure how it works in the US, but PG ain't really that big of a deal. Kids pretty much still need to go with their parents to the cinema anyway. I mean I couldn't care less about the rating, I'd still accompany my kids (If I had any) to watch a film in the cinema. I'm pretty sure MLP:FiM - The Movie will be kid friendly. I can't see Hasbro doing anything that would affect things like this.

 

But anyway, I honestly don't see that big of a deal here. U rated, PG rated, what difference does it really make? Maybe it just works a bit differently over in the UK, but I ain't complaining.

I'm actually debating whether she really did say her nickname instead of just making random "whisper sounds". If you listen carefully, there does seem to be vocals going on there; Actual words being spoken in a way that makes it hard to understand.

 

Do you remember the episode: "Bird in the Hoof"? Well there's a scene at the end where Rainbow Dash whispers something to Philomena. If you listen careful, you can hear Rainbow saying "Do you know what you should do? you should go and tickle them". So what this could mean is in MLP:FiM, when someone is whispering, they're actually saying vocally, what they're saying (I know that sounds a bit confusing), but they don't seem to do the typical "whispering sounds" in MLP:FiM like you see in other cartoons.

 

With that said, it may be possible that they literally whispered Spitfire's actual nickname, but in a way that makes it very hard to understand. I did run that scene through Audacity, and I can almost say for certain that Spitfire's nickname has 2 words in it. A short one and a very long one. The first word sounds mostly like "Elmwood" to my ears after slowing it down and modifying it to an understandable level, but it's still not conclusive for me.

 

If I were to guess without listening, I honestly have no idea what she'd be nicknamed for But I doubt it's anything bad where it would change the rating of the show; I highly doubt that.

 

But as I've said, she is whispering words. It's not just random sounds from what I've heard after editing it. Maybe someone here is a bit better than me at analyzing sounds and could try to pick up on actually what she's saying?

 

It's interesting, though. I thought I'd mentioned this.

Before I start, there is something I want to say to the staff and the Brony community first.

With that out of the way, lets get to it

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I know some bits in here will look like a rant, but trust me, I want to lay out the truth and be positive about it. Please bare with me and hear me out. I do not intend anything bad to come from this. If I have offended any of you, I am sorry and did not intend it.

 

What I want to do is first lay out the true direction of Poniverse, then go over the issues which includes my case, provide proof and explain why I believe it was wrong, and then give my own suggestion into how this can work a lot better for the future. I'll do this one step at a time, so please bare with me.

 

First things first. Here's quotes from Poniverse:
 

MLP Forums is the #1 brony forum on the net. Discover the magic of friendship. Join today!

Poniverse - The pony supercommunity

The biggest brony forum on the Internet. Fans from all walk of life consider this a second home - a place where they can discuss anything they'd like in a peaceful environment.

Tolerate and love everypony. While we don't quite mean this in the literal sense, we do ask that you remain respectful of other people's opinions and realize that they are, at the end of the day, just opinions rather than grounds for declaring thermonuclear war. Don't flame, don't troll, and you'll be fine. We realize this can be difficult when somebody else attacks you first, but please report them instead. Responding in kind will only get you in trouble along with them and possibly make the whole situation worse for everyone else present when it happens. People want to reply to topics casually, not walk on eggshells around two other bickering members.

We all know that Poniverse is built and designed for Bronies to gather together in friendship, and to enjoy this show with others that share the same interest. The Brony community is well known for being a really friendly one. I'm sure we all know the Brony code by now - Love and Tolerance. Not every Brony follows this code, and many are downright assholes that don't care much for others. But this is the "number 1 Brony forums on the internet". This should be a place where every Brony is welcome with open arms. One where everyone is looked after and taken care of without pushing them to one side.

When I first came across this site, I couldn't help but notice the welcoming and friendly atmosphere this place was giving off. I felt comfortable in joining this place, and I did not feel out of place; I felt like I belonged here, and I got such a warm welcome. I even made a few friends within the first 10 minutes after my welcome topic.

This forums and the Brony community that gather on here proved that there were others in this world that do care, and don't alienate you for being different. I totally respected this place and all those that are on here. I was shocked in how welcoming this place truly was, and how friendly the members are on here. No other forums I've been on was anything like this.

It is that, that made me want to be here. The friendliness of the community and members, the warm welcome, not feeling left out and feeling like I truly belonged, the friends I've made here; That is what truly gave me all the reasons to stay here. For a long time, I've never had any personal run-ins with the staff and how members are treated, until recently.

My conclusion now: Member care on here is pretty shit, and some members of staff are not cut out to handle members well enough. There has recently been a topic created about the behavior of staff, but I believe I need to make one that proves the points made about the staff behavior. Please keep in mind that I'm not saying all of the staff have a negative attitude, but there are some that do.

Also, I am not saying that none of you are capable of improving. We're all capable of improving, yet I'm not seeing much of a change.

I am doing this because I want to fight for what is true, right, and I want to fight for my friends and the Brony community, and what this network truly stands for. If anything I say in here is incorrect and/or debatable, then give me solid proof and explain why in full details.

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Now, if I'm going to prove my statements about member care on here being very poor, I'm going to have to bring up my case again, and also the cases of others. I will censor names for privacy, and I'll put this into a spoiler tag. For the case of others, I have investigated their claims made, and received the information from the accused. These members are free to confirm any parts of their case if it is required in here.

 

 

Now I'll get to the case of others that have reported mistreatment by the staff. As a friend and a fellow community member, it is only right that I defend their rights. If it is required for them to respond to make this valid, I'll let them know.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are many other cases, but I don't have enough information about them so I do not have any rights in questioning the treatment for them. I will say that every member has a right to defend their own case in here, and they should be given the chance to express their unfair treatment, if they have been, but they should also provide solid proof that they have in order for it to be valid.

 

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Member Care Staff line  Suggestion

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Now onto the suggestion regarding member care on Poniverse.

 

Firstly, I totally acknowledge that there is a shortage of staff, at least from what I've heard, it seems like there's just not enough staff members to efficiently handle everything that need maintenance.

 

I know the staff have many duties to take care of depending on staff type: Tech developing, moderator administration, topic and member moderation, et cetera. From what I know, it sounds like an extremely pressuring situation in Poniverse history. I respect that you still are able to keep things going, and I'm really sorry to hear about being under-staffed as you are. I have known about the lack of tech developers, and honestly, if I knew anything about tech/web developing, I'd fill in a form to help out. Honestly, I would. But I just have no idea on what to even do because I've never had any experiences with that.

 

If you ask me, and here's where my suggestion comes in. You should set up a brand new line of staff that only handles the community members, without having the trouble of full moderation. These staff members should be qualified in helping members in a fair and reasonable manner. They should also be able to know how to deal with members that suffer from depression, anxiety and suicide.

 

Now, there's quite a few friends I have that are fantastic in helping me through the depression I have. It's individuals like my friends that could take on this role as member care staff. I can bet there are many on here that could take on this role. This role is mostly about heart and care, so it's not like you'd need to have grades and degrees to take on such a role, and that's what would make this easy to setup.

 

How I see it is the staff on here are so worked up and stressed over trying to keep the forums clean and handle forum management behind the scenes that they've not got the time to truly deal with members in the best way possible.

 

Having a "Member Care Staff" implemented in would get around this and relieve some stress of having to handle members. If this new staff line was only given the role to help out and take care of members, then they wouldn't have to worry about handling other things like tech development, topic cleaning, warnings and history of members, et cetera.

 

I'm sure there are many members on here that have the passion and care to be able to take on this role. I'm not sure if you've ever created such a staff role before; I have never seen anything that suggests you have, but either way, you really can do with some relief and help with efficiently keeping the forums going, and attending to members needs by having them treated correctly.

 

Remember, trial and error. It's not like anything major is going to happen if this idea fails. I really think you need this setup, honestly, I do.

 

We've got to keep in mind of the 2 aspects of an internet forums: The actual forums you're building up and managing, and the community members that are a part of it.

 

The staff should break up into 2 categories: Those that are handling the forums, and those that are handling the community members. I'd say, talk it out between yourselves, see if it's do-able; I think it is, and give it a shot.

 

I mean, if I was in charge of a massive network like this, I'd organize my team of staff to handle both aspects of the network, especially during a time when things are getting a bit hot under the collar in terms of keeping everything running.

 

I can't say I know how things are, but this is the impression I'm getting from Poniverse. Even if things are not as bad as I think, I still think such an extra line of staff would benefit and relieve stress from the rest of the staff. During the time I had that drama going on over my joke feedback, I heard there was a heck of a lot going on between the staff.

 

We have the Life Advice section for anything that falls into this area. If you could setup a member care staff line, they could also be in charge of that section, too. It's a neat and effective way to improve management.

 

But, anyway, let me know what you think of this suggestion. I really think you need this, but I won't judge the staff and forum management performance because I don't know everything about it.

 

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Thanks for your time and I hope this goes down well. I honestly don't want to make any more issues for anyone after the drama recently. I apologize in advance if I've offended anyone here. That was never my intention. All I want to do was lay out the facts and the flaws; Give proof to it so my statements are valid, and give my idea on how you can get around this issue and improve forum management performance.

 

Before I finish, I'd like to apologize again for all the drama that was caused; To the team of staff and to the community, I am deeply sorry about what happened recently.

I believe it's the server issues they mentioned in my topic. I was told it was generally a Ddos attack. They get it resolved sooner or later, even though it seems to be taking longer than usual

I think it's time that both sides apologize for their actions.  The staff apologize to the members who were hurt by their attack, and the members apologize for attacking back.

 

I'll start by apologizing to the staff in general for my latest feedback topic.  I was being frank with all of you, and it was needed to come to attention the issue of the staff's attitude.

I made a large worthy post about (I deleted it now because no one gives a fuck about my input. Literally no acknowledgement at all. Friends say I'm not scum, but I am on here. I did apologize above, but did anyone actually take any NOTICE IN IT! *Relaxes*...

 

...Do you see what I mean now? *Sighs* Why even bother...

Because it's tricky Trixie to make a great spectacular highlight for a spectacular Pony. That Mare needs her time to do it right. Give her time to prepare.

 

Edit: I've only now just realized what you were talking about. I ain't gonna change my post because I'm awesome, and my posts are awesome with me 8) Statement still stands.

Now you see, I'm very different in this respect. I openly admit I want the show to end. But why, you may ask? The reason why is because I love MLP:FiM for the world and characters. I don't mind the quality of the show, and I don't mind if the later seasons turn into garbage, but I'm dead tired of hearing Bronies talk about this and that; Things that make me cringe and dislike on the Brony community.

 

To put it simple. The world has already been defined in the first few seasons, as well as the characters. But as the show progresses, the world and characters are being 'shifted' into a different definition, and even Bronies put in their own piece which further redefines the world and characters; I don't like this.

 

Don't get me wrong. I respect everypony's opinions. But at the same time, I don't like the fact that the world and characters are being redefined. Please don't ask me how it's being redefined, because it's not easy for me to explain how.

 

But as an example, and this is something we all should have noticed (And spoiler alert here).

 

 

 

 

Not to forget the fan-made stuff. I'm not even gonna get into that, but some fans really make me want to hate on the community and puts me off of MLP:FiM, despite the fact that fan-made stuff ain't official or even accurate, but it still can put me off the show.

 

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All I'm saying is the world and characters were defined in the first few seasons, and for me, that is Equestria to me. But lately, Equestria is shifting into a new different world, and the characters along with it. It just doesn't feel the same anymore, and this is why I want the show to end.

 

You could argue that I shouldn't let the newest seasons change the world for me, but it's not easy to not let it affect how I see Equestria.

 

Not to forget, there are very personal aspects of Equestria that means a lot to me. MLP:FiM is a lot more than just a show to me, and the same can be said for many other Bronies. It's a lot more than a show.

 

If you ask me. They should end G4, and continue the franchise in a different generation, because that way, the Equestria I know and love will not be influenced with new content. Sorry, but that's the way I feel about it.

 

PS. I don't really want to get into this, I'll just throw out my opinion on it. But that's all I'm doing here.

I don't so much consider my family as my friends, however, I do consider my friends as my family. I value true friendship a lot, so all my best friends are like my family

 

PS. I don't really relate to my actual family, so I can't really call them friends at all.

Here's how it works for me (Bare with me here). I love the official show only because of the world and characters. Nothing else in this fandom keeps me in this community (Apart from my awesome friends which is the only big reason why I'm a Brony).

 

Now, if there's one thing I love in MLP:FiM, it's the characters; They're appearance, personality, etc, basically everything that makes the character that character. As an example, I like Rainbow Dash to be Rainbow Dash. I like Twilight Sparkle to be Twilight Sparkle, I do not like them when they fall out of character and don't act like how I always used to remember them by since the very first season of MLP:FiM.

 

Now with that said. I'm not fond of the new seasons (Season 5 & 6). Why? Because the characters, the theme/style, and the story is almost nothing like how it used to be. If you watch Season 1 up to season 4, you can tell it's part of the same batch, and the vibe has a certain ring to it. This ring is what got me loving MLP:FiM in the first place, as well as the extremely simple yet awesome designs.

 

But, if you watch season 5 & 6, you will notice that the original theme has changed. Does it still feel like MLP:FiM, you ask? Not quite. It does feel very different now. I'm aware that they're targeting us Bronies when it comes to what's in the show. In some of the new episodes it's pretty damn obvious. But still, the vibe you'll get from Season 5 & 6 will not be the same as what you got from Season 1 to season 4.

 

I will not lie here. Some of the new episodes from seasons 5 and 6 do feel like they belong in a fan-fiction.

 

Overall, if you want to remember MLP:FiM in it's original glory and form, then do not watch season 5 and season 6, because it does not feel the same at all. Some episodes are cool, I'll give them that, but there's not a great deal more I can say about the 2 new seasons.

 

If you're just wanting to keep up to date and enjoy watching our favorite Ponies jump out of character, then go ahead, watch season 5 and season 6.

 

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I'm only watching them to keep up to date, so if any of my friends starts talking about season 5 and/or season 6 episodes, I can jump into the conversation to express how much I don't like them

You know what I like, Twisty

 

 

Oh yeah, you know what I like

 

Me? I totally love the rain, lightning storms which are my favorite. I literally drop what I'm doing, grab my camera, and shoot some bolts as soon as the storm begins. I just can't get enough of them.

 

I also love tornadoes and my 2nd personal favorite: Supercells.

 

I also have a strange love for clouds. Arcus cloud being one of the coolest. But hay, a cool Pony like myself needs cool awesome weather to satisfy my awesome epic life. Life just wouldn't be the same without a bolt of lightning, 4x hotter than the sun's surface, making an awesome and totally epic strike towards the planets skin.

 

Booya, Bro /)

While the creepiness of ghosts is something that I find interesting, I don't believe in ghosts at all anymore. Main reason? Me, my brother and his girlfriend stayed at Waverly Hills Sanatorium for 4 hours and experienced absolutely nothing. Supposedly one of the most haunted places in the entire world and we experienced absolutely nothing. 

 

Of course it isn't that alone that makes me not believe in it, there are just too many holes in the idea. 

That's as bad as taking a jug of water out the sea while catching no fish, and then saying "hmm, I guess fish don't exist".

 

But I myself do believe in ghosts. My theory is that spiritual beings rest in another dimension which then makes them invisible to 'Visible Light'. I've seen a lot of ghost footage, and while a lot are fake, and this kinda thing can easily be faked, there is a pattern I've noticed in many genuine ghost captured footage which all fits in to make a perfect picture.

 

But the main thing that gets me believing is the ghosts of those that have died which can appear in photos after their death. I'm one that believes we all have a spirit inside, instead of just being living machines. But everyone is free to have their own believes.

 

PS. Sorry for the shitty post, but my 't' key has totally fallen off, and it's jamming all my keys around it It's causing a key-tastrophe

 

 

 

Okay, my question is: Why the buck are their theories on having a 7th element? To start off with, the elements don't really play much of a part to the series anymore. Then there's the Tree of Harmony that has only the 6 slots for where the elements go into, and of course they were returned to the tree to restore it's full power and all that.

 

Logically, there can't be a 7th element because it doesn't seem to realistically fit into the construct of the Tree of Harmony. That tree is suppose to be the soul source of Harmony and it's elements. And then there's the spirits of harmony which are the mane 6; I can't see how a 7th can fit into all of this. It would ruin the concept within the country or Equestria (Yes I call Equestria a country).

 

What I'm trying to get at is the 6 existing elements make up the full power of Harmony, so this would mean a 7th would not connect to the other 6 elements, so I just can't seem to understand how a 7th would work.

 

It's like putting 6 special batteries into an electronical device to make it work. Why would it need an extra one? and how would an extra one fit into the damn thing? It just doesn't. There's no logic to it.

No, not at all. I don't like kids. I have friends that are technically kids, and I accept them as my friends. But overall, I don't like kids; They're annoying, bothering, always want to intrude in my alone time, and I generally don't want them near me, yet I respect all life and accept everypony so I don't discriminate anyone, not even kids. But this doesn't mean I have to like them.

 

To answer the actual question: I only get along with kids that are Bronies because of MLP:FiM which we can relate to.

In life they're many things that are either misunderstood or incapable of understanding yet people still think they know sometimes

Yeah, tell me about it. It's hard enough being a Brony, but pile it with being a "Parallel-Otherkin" and then it makes things even more complex and awkward. I mean, Otherkin individuals are hard enough for non-kin's to understand, but then you've got me which I class myself as a "Parallel-Otherkin", which basically means I'm similar in parts of the Otherkin concept, but very different at the same time; Totally ain't easy to explain myself.

 

I even get trouble in the Brony Community about this too which makes it a pain in the a..... flank. There's me saying "I'm 100% Lightning Dash the NON-Equestrian Pegasus Pony; As you see me in my avatar, and no matter what image you see of me, I'm still the same", and for many Bronies and my own best friends, it's been a struggle to explain it.

 

I don't usually like to mention it for reasons, but sometimes I get called an OC or Ponysona, and then that triggers me to talk about myself as you'd expect if you knew this about me well enough. I also don't like to talk about myself (Lightning Dash) in a 3rd person perspective either as you'd expect.

 

Another problem I have with this is others may think I'm insane or delusional or something like that, when I'm not It's a very deep complex and serious thing, and it's not an internet thing either. It's also annoying that I've been like this for as long as I can remember, and so it's something my friends are either going to have to accept, or we're not exactly going to be good friends if they don't.

 

PS. I'm planning to write an entire blog series about myself to finally kill the confusion and misunderstanding, so if any of you somehow have any questions about me, save it for now as it'll all be explained in the blog series.

I agree with a lot of posts in here already, but there's one thing nopony has actually brought up in here yet: If they did get together in love, then Spike's going to move out of Ponyville and into the Dragon Land Ember is Lording over in.

 

Because of this reason, I honestly don't see it happening yet. Maybe when the final season is here, then it could happen as Spike could then decide to go his separate way when as the show comes to an end. For now, I don't see it happening, mainly because I feel the writers still want to keep him in the show and in Ponyville. Obviously Ember wouldn't move to Ponyville because she has the duty as Dragon Lord.

 

On a different note. They both did show some signs of a bond there. Could be more of a friendship bond, could be more of a relationship bond; Not enough details to truly give an exact answer. I don't doubt we'll see Ember a few more times in the upcoming episodes. Spike most likely will play more of a role in those episodes, too.

I will say so far, it's really not that bad, however I'm not entirely ecstatic about it. For me, it's starting to feel less MLP now, just a little bit, but then that's kind of how I felt about Season 5; Lost that touch a bit for me. Of course I gather these new seasons are more directed towards Bronies now, but still, there's a certain vibe it's lacking now, at least that's my opinion on it.

 

The recent episode, "Gauntlet of Fire" almost felt like a brand new show to me; Not exactly how I remember MLP. I wouldn't say I'm too bothered about the actual episodes, I mostly just love the world and characters, so I wouldn't mind if we just had one single season. But I still value the course of the series for that extra enjoyment of MLP:FiM.

 

Like I've said, it's not bad. My main concern is the lost vibe; Not sure how to explain what I mean, but it does feel different now.

Well to be honest, I kinda feel a little down; Like not being all that popular lately. I mostly come online to see my friends, but lately, it's been so damn quiet, and I don't feel that friendship bond much anymore.

 

Also, FFIX is being a pain in the a..... flank. First I defeated a massive Dragon-like creature, and then later on I get killed by a house (True story). Not to forget spending all my cash to get a really cool sword, and then I find that exact same sword in a treasure chest a few minutes later.

Yeah, I agree, King. By the way, I never said any of the staff thought they were superior to the rest of the community; That's something that got confused. Of course we're all equal and stuff, I was merely saying a lot of the upper staff generally don't 'come out' so much.

 

Anyway, I don't really have anymore complaints in regards to what I was mentioning in my opening post. I do have a new issue I want to get sorted asap, though. All details edited in the openinig post and originally posted here

I won't go to much into detail with replying to what's been said as there's a new serious issue I want to focus this post on, but I agree with almost all of what both Jokuc and Jeric have said in here. I'm still standing by the whole bias stuff I mentioned, although what I really meant with that is I believe replies to suggestions shouldn't be all based on personal opinions.

At least give the positives about any given suggestion as long as there are positives that can be given while remaining genuine.

Also as Roketsune has mentioned about an "Ivory Tower". I think maybe you got a bit carried away with what I've been saying.

I never said any of the staff was superior compared to the rest of the community; That's not what I've been expressing. I'm saying that the staff don't give much hope into suggestions and if they'll even be considered. It just feels hopeless, and I feel there's a lack of communication when it comes to what we as member want for the forums, and what has already been planned.

It would be nice to get some kind of insight into what's to come. As for the development team, I can understand if the problem is finding the right people that are both passionate and qualified to do the job.

PS. If I knew anyone that could take on those roles, I'd sure as hell recommend them in signing up in becoming web developers on here, but I honestly don't know anyone for the job. But I totally understand that issue.

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Now the main thing I want to put into discussion here is the way members are moderated. The forums and it's design, the way threads are handle, and the development team; I honestly have no more complaints over anything like that, and I can pass any issues that fall under those categories, but the way members are moderated is something that really has to gain some improvement. This is something that really needs improvement and focus. Also, I won't say any names in here for the sake of member privacy.

We're all Bronies here, are we not? Maybe some aren't, but either way, we're an internet community that's centered around the actual Brony community, and that's basically the foundation of this entire network (Poniverse). I'm sure we all know the Brony Code by now (Love and Tolerance). In the end, we're not just a community that's here to discuss the show, but we're also a community of friends which in my opinion is the main aspect on this community.

Pretty much all of us has at least 1 friend we speak to on here. If anyone on this forums doesn't have a friend, then damn, I feel sorry for you, but I'll happily take you under my wing, literally. I'm super awesome once you get to know me too. But what's the worst thing that can happen on here? In my opinion, it's seeing a friend of ours getting banned for whatever reason, or getting banned yourself, and this seems to happen quite a lot. In some cases when a friend gets banned, you end up losing all contact with them, and that's a really upsetting ending to friendship.

Last year, one of my friends ended up getting the old full ban, although thankfully I was able to add him on Skype, and he's become one of my closest friends. Naturally, I asked him why he got banned, and while I have no evidence on what exactly happened, some of the points he mentioned lead to me believe the ban was done unfairly. As I know him well, I know he has difficulties in how he communicates to others, and because of the way he handles communication, it can lead to becoming problematic. From what I've gathered, that's the main reason why he ended up getting banned from the forums.

Very recently, in fact just yesterday, one of my other close friends got fully banned from the forums due to grammar issues. While I won't say his name, I'm sure there are members of staff here that know exactly what member I'm talking about.

The problem with this is that while his grammar may not always be understandable, and I won't lie, even I sometimes have issues with what he's trying to say. The thing is, it's not something he can really help. It's not something he chooses to do, and he doesn't choose to not improve and learn by it, but unfortunately, he does have difficulties in communicating and learning by his mistakes.

I've known this friend since around the time he registered on here, up to this date, and I speak to him almost daily. We speak as close friends, and because of this, I as a friend of him know what he's like, how he talks, I've identified that he does have some difficulty in communication and that he struggles to learn from it. But in the end, I know him personally because we're close friends that's spoken to each other for a long time. The staff that dealt with him does not know him personally. They probably didn't identify that he has communication and learning difficulties; They don't know that this is how he is. I could say the exact same for my other close friend that got banned from here last year.

The problem is, there are some members, maybe a lot of members and Bronies in this community that do had communication and learning difficulties, and I mean no offense when I talk about this, but it's something that cannot be helped, and banning them because they have an in-ability to get to the required standards on this forums is absolutely shameful, and it's shameful as a Brony community. You can sit there and say it isn't, but it really is shameful and unfair.

Now I'm no expert when it comes to individuals that have learning difficulties, or have issues in expressing themselves in a way where the rest of the forums can understand what they're saying. But I'm still able to notice when a friend of mine does have difficulties, and I don't let the communication difficulty affect my view on them. I at least compromise and try to understand them without throwing them out because I, not only as a friend, but as a fellow Brony, I care about them.

I get that this forums has a presentation to maintain, and members are expected to reflect a good presentation; I get that, but there should be a line drawn for the sake of the Brony community as this is one of the top Brony sites, if not, the top Brony site where we all gather together on. It's like a mass internet convention if you will. Those in the community that have difficulties should have special care instead of trying to force them to reach the same standards of the rest of the forums.

This doesn't mean that those with difficulties are treated differently, but they still should be let off in a case that's not generally harming other users or the forums. As my friend that recently got fully banned from the forums, the reason why he got banned was completely because of his grammar. He's still a kind soul that doesn't mean any harm to anyone, and as far as I know, he's never caused anyone any problems or been offensive towards other members.

It's extremely unfair that he got banned over grammar reasons, and because he has difficulties, he shouldn't be held responsible with something he has an in-ability for. It's as bad as banning a disabled person from a marathon because they're not fast enough in their wheelchair; It's not their fault at all, but that doesn't mean they're not allowed to participate in the race because that would be wrong to ban them for something that's beyond their control.

I honestly don't mean to be offensive towards those that have these issues, but there's really no other way to say this than to speak my mind here.

It's the staff's responsibility to not only keep the forums clean, but to also help members with their needs and help them feel welcomed to this community regardless of their conditions, if they have any. It is not right for a staff member to basically throw these individuals out the front door over something they can't help.

I don't care if you say he didn't care about how he communicates on here, and I don't care if you say he didn't want to try and improve, because I as a friend that knows him very well know that it's just the way he is, and he cannot help it. The thing with him is sometimes you can understand exactly what he's saying, but then there are also times when you can't. He's not doing this intentionally at all, it's just the way he is.

You as staff members that take on the responsibility to attend to the members that are having troubles have failed to deal with my friend correctly. You've failed to deal and help him correctly. Now I'm not saying you should go and take a class in how to deal with individuals with difficulties. What I'm saying is sometimes you should either learn to deal with these members correctly, or otherwise if you're incapable, then maybe you should let them off the hook.

This doesn't mean it's unfair treatment between members, it means doing the right thing for someone that requires special treatment. As a Brony community which is probably the most accepting and caring community that exists, it's only right that you take the most reasonable course of action when dealing with members that have learning difficulties.

If you say otherwise, then I'll be willing to sit here day in, day out, and argue with you regarding this whole thing. I totally understand that the community wants to be treated equally, and in cases of toxic members that never improve their attitude and become a problem for the community, then sure, I agree that banning them is the only thing that can be done for such members. But we're not even talking about an abusive member at all, we're talking about a member that's never been abusive for as long as he's been here, and got fully banned all over grammar reasons. It's shameful as I've said.

But not only is it shameful, but it proves that the staff on here are not qualified to handle members that need special treatment. It's also frustrating that I as a friend of the banned member cannot speak on his behalf; Not here, not on Skype, nowhere will the staff let me speak on his behalf, and that's pretty sad because it's only natural that a friend will defend their friends if anything was to happen to them.

I get you're being professional, and then there's member privacy, but come on, make it a little more natural and allow me to defend my friends and fight for their rights if they're not capable of doing it. I'll even be willing to relay what they want to say in regards to their ban. If you feel that's not a legitimate way of disputing bans, then open a chat between me, my friend, and a qualified member of staff so we can resolve it, and so I can support my friend if they're struggling to bring the true around and why it was unfair.

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With all that said. The staff should learn to deal with members that have learning difficulties. It's probably not a common case anyway, but in this case it is.

Just think about it. You as a staff member are here to maintain the forums, maintain the members and enforce the rules to maintain order on the forums and network. You're also just like any normal member that's here to join in as a community. You really shouldn't throw a member out because they can't help with their grammar. You can sit there and say he was capable, but I as a friend, I know him and how he communicates, and you do not know this about him, otherwise you'd not have misunderstood him and banned him for something he's incapable of doing.

Like I've said at the start. The Brony community is the foundation of this entire forums and network, and it's unfair to throw a fellow Brony out in this fashion and for that reason.

If you care and are a truly a reasonable line of staff, then you'd unban him, and we all can take this into private and have it resolved. It's highly likely that he'll struggle in disputing why it's unfair and all that, so it's only fair I'll get taken into the private discussion as support. I have my standards, and I'm prideful, so I'll help resolve it without being bias just because he's a friend. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's being fair and reasonable in doing what's right.

I feel as if you should start helping members as a fellow Brony instead of a formal staff member.

If you wish to take this in private, I'm free to receive a private message over it. My friend is up for having this resolved.